4th of july had been much anticipated it was a holiday that wells normally had a lot of fun on & this was his first with gray , spending it with him , at his dads party . he wasn’t quite sure what to expect from it . he knew things with gray & his dad were strained , but it was something that gray didn’t talk too much about , & frankly , wells didn’t ask . which is why he doesn’t ask too many questions on the drive there despite the tension he noticed , that he tried to ease away with gentle rub along gray’s back & neck . at the party , wells expected … more , from gray . they’d been together for a while now , lived together for a while now , too being introduced as just ‘ wells ’ was sort of a let down . not sort of , it was . gray was tense , he knew that , but even as he reached out to offer some comfort or just for the physical contact that he craved day in & day out , he can’t help but notice how gray isn’t very receptive to his touch . the hurt is almost immediate . he notices the difference & he doesn’t like it .
they’re eventually alone & he still feels as though gray was keeping some sort of distance from him , a kind of distance that hadn’t ever existed between them . he already has a drink when gray steals one off the waitress , he’s had a few already. he reaches out , a hand lifting to make contact with gray’s middle back because he still longed for it , his lovers touch & despite the distance he felt tonight , he still tried . “ we do love an open bar , ” his reply is a bit dull , but he tries again & pulls gray a bit closer to him because that’d help … that always seemed to help them just being together , close . “ we did come here for a reason , ” it was his dad’s party wells had yet to meet him … it was about time that changed , wells thought they were in agreement on that . he looks at gray , watches him for a moment ( he was doing that often , just because things tonight were so … off ) & he wants to ask if he’s okay , but he’s already irritated & he knows gray won’t tell him much right now . besides , gray’s words don’t have the usual affect on him , instead … he finds himself getting upset . “ if i didn’t know any better , i’d say you’re using that as an excuse to dip out early & that’s pretty fucking shitty , gray . ” the alcohol definitely allowed the words to tumble out a bit more freely , to make his irritation known , but he meant them . it sucked , feeling that way , but at the moment , it was very much his reality .
the interruption is immediate , they don’t get to exchange much more words when there’s a burst of laughter from a group of people not too far from them . that seemed to always be the host of the party making their way through the crowd of their guests . “ must be the man of the hour . ” wells doesn’t know how to feel about meeting gray’s father now . how he felt about being here tonight , even . “ great timing . ” he utters mostly to himself & into his drink before he downs what was left of it .
The only reason Gray missed the cues of Wells’ discontent was because he was dealing with his own series of traumas to notice how his own behavior was affecting his boyfriend. His father’s 4th of July party was just another show of power for the politician, a huge gathering of big names and money where he could just reinforce his own position, including that of his parental figure in his children’s life. Gray would’ve preferred spending the holiday anywhere but here, but he had also been pushing introducing Wells to his dad officially and he knew, once the invitation got home, he couldn’t find a good enough excuse to set that back another few weeks until the next big event. He would’ve kept Wells far away from his father if he could, forever, but now here they were and the moment the architect snaps at him, he knows he’s made a mistake. Or plenty.
Downing his drink in one gulp, he starts the second he had grabbed for his boyfriend after realizing Wells already had a drink of his own. “Maybe we just made a mistake by coming here in the first place.” He blurts, mostly the alcohol speaking, turning to stand straighter facing his boyfriend instead of leaning into this touch or giving in to Wells’ efforts of pulling him in, closer. He was unconsciously trying to put distance between them, not because he was ashamed of Wells or their relationship, but because he was trying to protect him, and their relationship. He may have not done it the right way, but his intention was pure. The room was full of vultures, old men who wanted nothing more than to deny their existence and make their life a living hell simply for being who they were. He had to live with that but Wells didn’t. Wells shouldn’t. But it was too late now, the commotion brewing around them enough to let him know there was just no going back. “Perfect timing.” Gray speaks, downing the second drink in one gulp as his father approaches, a Senator beside him and his wife, the couple smiling eager to meet James Haggan’s son though his father bore no indication of looking forward to see him, just the same ol’ look of disappointment on his face he was so used to now.
This is my son, Grayson, and his... friend? James starts, the couple extending their hands to shake in greeting. “My friend... Wells. Wells Campbell.” It slipped him that he had used his father’s words to introduce him, again, instead of correcting the man. My boyfriend, he meant to say, but he had failed, again, to make that correction. Gray felt Wells’ presence beside him though he was avoiding his boyfriend’s gaze. The tension between them had suddenly escalated even without him looking his way, turning to face his father who, in all his subtleness, held the tiniest hint of a smirk on his face he knew all too well as he realized what had just happened. James had quickly offered his hand to Wells as if he didn’t know the truth, but he did. Despite Gray’s slip, he knew Wells was his boyfriend despite his own disapproval. “Fuck.” He cursed under his breath, the couple trying to make small talk with them now but he couldn’t concentrate. One look at Wells and he knew. He had fucked up. Big time. He had fallen into his dad’s trap and he had failed Wells. And for what? He saw it coming before Wells even said it, excusing himself and Gray was frozen in place for a moment, because he was still trying to process it all. His heart sunk.
The couple kept talking but he couldn’t hear them, his ears ringing, and his dad would not stop staring at him as if daring him to do something to call any attention or embarrass him any further. Wells could feel his ears burning, his neck, his eyes, stinging with angry tears. At his dad. At himself. He tried to stay in place and play the part but he couldn’t, breaking his stance as he handed his dad his empty glass. “You know he’s the fucking love of my life and I may just had fucked it all up to please you, which is stupid because there’s no pleasing you, ever, and to be honest? It’s not even worth it.” The couple looked taken aback, the woman even brought a hand to her chest. His father, however, remained unfazed. Gray shook his head before turning around. “Thanks, dad, but this is the last time I let you ruin anything in my life. I hope you’re happy.”
